Vise



Feb. 16, 1943. c, G, GARRIGUS ETAL 2,311,335

' VISE Filed Oct. 26, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 MINI . Hlil'li N Ins/snags WITNESSES Ma wwj-fzww' 'W" Patented Feb. 16, 1943 uNlTso srs'r VISE Clarence G. Garrigus, Ha'ddam, and Cedric B.

Cross, Moodus, 001111., assignors to Production, Devices Incorporated, East Hartford, Conn., a Corporation of Connecticut Application'flctober 26, 1940, Serial No. 362,957

4 Claims. (CI. 81-17) One object of the invention is to provide a powerful quick acting machine tool vise.

Another object of the invention is to economize on the amount of compressed air used to furnish the required amount of power in the vise.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for quickly and easily releasing the power in the vise leaving the jaws in position to receive and hold new work ready for operation.

A further object of the invention is to provide a powerful vise easily adaptable for any work about to be machined.

To these ends and also to improve generally on devices of the class specified is the object of the invention hereinafter described and claimed.

Fig. 1 is a plan view of vise;

Fig. 2 is a lateral view of the same partially cut away approximately along line 22 of Fig. 1 and viewed in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section taken along line 3-3 of Fig. 2 and viewed in the direction of the arrows; and

Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical section taken along line 4- of Fig. 2 viewed in the direction I of the arrows.

Referring to the drawings, a base iii has mounted thereon a stationary jaw H and a movable jaw I2.

The stationary jaw II is adjustable to a predetermined fixed position by means of a bolt I3, slots as at 8| in the base I9, and keys 32 adapted to lit in the predetermined slots. The bolt I3 holds the jaw II secure in the desired stationary position. The position of the stationary jaw, of course, depends on the size of the material to be worked while held by the jaws and said material is hereinafter referred do as the work.

The power that we prefer to use to operate the movable jaw I2 is compressed air. Vises operated by compressed air are not new and the difiiculty with them has been that they do not hold the work securely enough to operate on the work with speed and with sufficient cut in the work to be satisfactory for fast production. In our vise compressed air, controlled by valves not shown but well known in the art, enters the chamber I4 and forces the air piston I5 upward. Rollers I6 suitably collared ride horizontally in suitable slots I511. in said piston I5 and engage respectively the cams I1 and I8 and carry both cams also upwardly. The cams I! and I8 have opposing convex cam surfaces Ila, I90. which it will be seen are in rolling engagement with each other.

The cam I8 has a fixed pivotal point as at I9 secured by pin 20 to the arms Ifla integral with the base Ii].

The cam I1 is pivotally secured by. the pin 2! to the movable jaw I2. Thus,'upon upward movement of the piston I5, because of the rolling engagement of cam surface Ila with cam surface Ifla, said cam II serves to move said movable jaw #2 toward said stationary jaw II. 10'

of the cams I1 and I8 as at 22 is, because of the secured by bolts 25.

A coil spring 26 engages a stud 21 in the jaw l2 and 2. lug 28 in the base I0 so that the tension therefrom holds the cams I7 and I8 constantly in contact as at 22.

The coil springs 29 engage the base of the piston and are put under compression as the compressed air forces the piston I5 upward, so that when the air pressure is released the springs 29 force the piston, the cams and hence, the movable jaw I2 to its open or normal position as shown in Fig. 2.

The convex engaging contact surfaces of the respective cams as at 22 are not true arcs, but rather the portions of the surfaces Ha, I 80. in initial contact are slightly cut away so that the respective arcs are steeper initially thus causing faster movement of the movable jaw I2 before it meets up with the work so as to save time in operation.

Speed in operation is important both before the movable jaw meets the work and at the time of releasing. For instance if the pressure is variably increasing up to the time to release a Wedging is caused which will delay releasing. It will be noted that the contact point 22 practically does not move so that the predetermined pressure at the jaw is constant and no wedging is caused to delay the release.

We claim:

1. In a device of the character described, a stationary jaw, a movable jaw and means for moving said movable jaw toward and away from said stationary jaw comprising a reciprocally movable piston, a member supported from a fixed pivot and having a convex cam surface, a second member supported from a pivot movable with and carried by said movable jaw and having a convex cam surface engageable with said firstnamed cam surface, means for coupling both said members to said reciprocally movable piston to rotate them about their respective pivots upon reciprocation of said piston, and means for maintaining said cam surfaces in rolling contact during said reciprocation of said piston whereby the contact between said surfaces during operation always remains substantially in a single horizontal plane below the level of said pivots.

2. In a device of the character described, a stationary jaw, a movable jaw and means for moving said movable jaw toward and away from said stationary jaw to efiect clamping pressure on and release of work pieces between said jaws, said means comprising a pair of members having opposing convex cam surfaces adapted to engage each other with rolling contact, fixed pivot means for supporting one of said members, pivot means movable with and carried by said movable jaw for supporting the other of said members, a reciprocally movable element, means for coupling said element with said two members to rotate the latter about their respective pivot means upon reciprocation of said element whereby the contact between said cam surfaces during reciprocation of said element always remains substantially in a single horizontal plane below the level of said pivot means.

3. In a vise-of the character described, a stationary jaw, a movable jaw, and means for moving said movable jaw, comprising a pair of members having opposing convex cam surfaces adapted to engage each other with rolling contact, fixed pivot means for supporting one of said members, pivot means movable with said movable jaw for supporting the other of said members, a reciprocally-movable pressure-actuated element,

roller means coupling said element with each of said members to rotate the latter about their respective pivot means upon reciprocation of said element, spring-actuated means for maintaining contact between said convex cam surfaces, and spring-actuated means for urging said reciprocally-movable element in one direction of its reciprocal motion, both said pivot means being so positioned that the contact between said convex cam surfaces during reciprocation of said element always remains substantially in a single horizontal plane below the level of both said pivot means.

' 4. A vise comprising a base, an adjustable stationary jaw, a movable jaw slidably supported with respect to said base and movable toward and away from said first-named jaw, means tending to maintain said jaws apart, and means for moving said movable jaw toward said stationary jaw, said last-named means including a pair of members having opposing convex cam surfaces adapted to engage each other with rolling contact, fixed pivoted means carried by said base for rotatably supporting one of said members, pivot means movable with said movable jaw for supporting the other of said members, a reciprocally-movable, pressure-actuated piston, roller means coupling said piston and each of said members to rotate the latter about their respective pivots upon reciprocation of said pressureactuated piston, both said pivot means being positioned so that the contact between said cam surfaces during reciprocation of said piston always remains substantially in a single horizontal plane below the level of said pivot means,

and the said convex cam surfaces being arcs Whose initial portions are so cut away as to provide faster movement of said movable jaw during a portion of its motion toward said movable jaw.

CLARENCE G. GARRIGUS. CEDRIC B. CROSS. 

